Are you a name dropper?

Is it the Filipino way of getting things done? Yes, there is a way to put things in order. To fall in line. To get a number. First-come-first-served.

Yeah, we all have to wait our turn.

And Alabang Bulletin, through our readers, found out that not many residents from Muntinlupa, Las Pinas and Paranaque want to wait for their turns.

Hence, the name dropping mystery.

One reader narrated how he heard a loud argument in one of the malls in Las Pinas. Apparently, there was a woman who was arguing with a sales lady about something that the reader did not get to hear anymore. All he heard was, “Kilala ko si Villar! Papasara ko kayo!” The woman had to be dragged away by the security guard. After this, the reader said that the sales lady, together with her other sales lady friends, were just laughing, saying, “Ano naman kaya ngayon kung kilala niya si Villar?”

Apparently, the incident happened in a mall owned by the Villar’s.

Meanwhile, in a hospital in Muntinlupa, one poor councilor’s name was used over and over by a certain individual who claimed that he and the patient were relatives of this particular city councilor, according to a source from inside Ospital ng Muntinlupa. “Kamaganak kami ni Konsehal Allan Camilon! Asikasuhin niyo kami!” said the patient’s relative. Although there were many patients ahead of them and the source said that it was obvious that the nurses and doctors hands were full, the relative insisted that they be treated first. When probed if they were really relatives, the hospital staff found out that the people were “players” for the councilor. Alabang Bulletin does not know what that means. Poor councilor. The staff of the hospital probably won’t vote for him if he ever runs for re-election.

Some nurses from the same hospital even said that many patients use different names from City Hall just so they can be prioritized. They say things such as “Kami nagpapasweldo sa inyo dahil sa mga tax na binabayaran namen!” and “Baka pwedeng unahin mo na kami. Kamag-anak namen si ano.”

Paranaque City residents, on the other hand, have called the present administration “Family Inc.” because of the way people just mention the present mayor’s name when doing business in City Hall. “Palakasan,” as one resident claimed.

Now, why have we come to this? Alabang Bulletin does not wish to malign the politicians mentioned above or any politicians at all. Maybe just to inform them that their names are being dragged into not so nice situations by their relatives or in the Ospital ng Muntinlupa case, pseudo relatives. It would also be nice if these politicians instruct their relatives and supporters that we live in a fair world. That we do not have to use someone’s name just to get ahead in this world.